Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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1419. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will consider establishing an independent employment support service, separate from the HSE, for people with disabilities and those with mental illness, focused on providing local, meaningful and fairly paid opportunities; if he acknowledges the impact that prolonged unemployment can have on mental health, confidence and self-worth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19452/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I am very aware of the impact that prolonged unemployment can have on mental health, confidence and self-worth on people with disabilities and those with mental illness. My Department already offers a range of supports for people with disabilities. As such, the establishment of an independent employment support service is not being considered at this time.

My Department's disability employment supports are not dependent on the type or category of illness or disability. Both mainstream and tailored supports are available. Intreo offers many programmes that allow people with disabilities to work and train in their own local community such as Community Employment and Tús.

In July 2022, my Department launched Early Engagement. The scheme aims to proactively engage disabled people in a ‘return to work’ process in the early stages of disability or illness. Specially trained Employment Personal Advisors reach out to people on Disability Allowance for 6 to 12 months and people on Disability Allowance aged 18 to 25 to offer guidance and support. Engagement with the scheme is voluntary. Almost 28,000 people have been contacted and nearly 3,000 referrals have been made for further education or employment supports since the scheme launched.

People in receipt of Disability Allowance or Blind Pension can take up employment or self-employment and earn up to €165 a week and keep their full rate of their payment. Their payment is tapered above €165, meaning that a person can earn up to €517.60 a week and still keep their entitlement to the minimum rate of payment and secondary benefits.

People in receipt of Invalidity Pension or Illness Benefit (the latter for a minimum of 26 weeks) who wish to return to work may be eligible for Partial Capacity Benefit if their capacity for work is reduced as a result of their medical condition. The personal rate of payment of Partial Capacity Benefit is based on a medical assessment of a person’s restriction in capacity for work. Partial Capacity Benefit has been designed so there are no restrictions or limits on earnings from employment or on the number of hours a person can work.

My Department offers a range of employment supports, including Work and Access and the Wage Subsidy Scheme. It contracts Employability services and co-finances WorkAbility projects.

In July 2024, my Department launched a new scheme called Work and Access. This scheme offers seven supports to help reduce or remove barriers in the workplace for people with a disability to allow them to get a job or stay in work. Funding is available for communication supports, work equipment, workplace adaptations and training. This scheme is open to all non-public sector employers, including the self-employed and people working in the community and voluntary sector. Supports are available for both business premises and remote workplaces.

The Wage Subsidy Scheme supports employers to hire people with disabilities through a subsidy. In August 2024, my Department published a review of the scheme to make it more accessible and flexible to people with disabilities and their employers. An additional €3.7 million has been allocated to implement the review’s recommendations. In April 2024, the minimum hours for the scheme were reduced from 21 to 15 hours. My Department is currently implementing the remaining recommendations.

Employability is a service where, through a referral from Intreo, jobseekers with disabilities can work with a Job Coach who provides pre-employment and in-employment support and assistance. It also acts as a recruitment advice service for the business community and provides employers with access to a pool of potential employees.

In December 2023, my Department established the WorkAbility programme - it is co-financed with the EU Employment, Inclusion, Skills, and Training programme. WorkAbility supports people with disabilities into employment through 57 local, regional and national projects and is running from January 2024 to December 2028. It aims to support over 13,000 disabled people progress their training and employment ambitions over its lifetime.

Notwithstanding these supports, the Government recognises that more needs to be done to provide people with disabilities with local, meaningful, and fairly paid employment opportunities. The new Programme for Government prioritises improvements to employment supports for people with disabilities. These commitments include:

to expand and build on successful programmes like Workability, Employability and Work and Access;

to ensure citizens with disabilities can access employment on an equal basis to others by focusing on building skills, capacity and independence; and

to continue to ensure employers make reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities in the workplace.

I trust that this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.